BARCELONA, Spain, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Local favorites Spain beat Australia 8-6 on Friday in women's water polo final at the Bernal Picornell Pool, winning gold medal at the FINA 15th World Championships which are being held in Barcelona until Sunday.

It is the first gold medal for Spain to collect at the Barcelona worlds and it is also the first time for a host country to win the women's water polo title in FINA worlds.

Since the beginning of the match the Spanish team was confident and proved to have a very good defense thanks to a great job made by the goalkeeper Laura Ester who blocked a penalty from Australia.

Spain won silver medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, when they were defeated by the United States in the final, while Australia claimed bronze.

In Barcelona, Hungary took bronze after beating Russia 10-8, while two of their players, namely Barbara Bujka and Rita Keszthelyi, were elected as best center forward and field player by media representatives.

Meanwhile, Spain's captain Jennifer Pareja was elected the most valuable player with her compatriot Laura Ester being chosen as the best goalkeeper.